Hard at Work
This is a Viet Namese girl whose family has entered Cambodia illegally. These Viet Namese work the tourists boats in Tonle Lake. They come alongside to sell cold drinks or bananas. The tourists are glad to photograph them and to buy a cold drink, but the Cambodians do not like them. The Cambodians want Cambodia for the Cambodians.
Many of the Viet Namese children held up snakes for the tourists to photograph and expected money in return. This girl and her sister had unusual ‘boats’…large aluminum dishpans which they paddled up to a floating restaurant. They had to bail the ‘boats’ out frequently. Their mother was nearby in a rowboat. (I think!)
The girls looked cute paddling about, but to them it was serious business. Look at her expression. It borders on desperation and maybe hostility. She doesn’t know she should smile and ingratiate herself. She would have collected more money if she knew that basic fact.